2018 BMW Luxury Excellence Pavilion Malaysia & the Concept 8 Series!
It’s been nearly three decades since we first saw the BMW 8 Series. The life of the 8 Series however didn’t last long as the demand for it back then was not as great as BMW hoped. Ever since then in 1998, BMW officially ceased production of the 8 series.
Nevertheless, I’m glad to say the legacy’s back, because BMW has recently announced that the 8 series will be making a comeback, initially with the concept model being first showcased to the public at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The production car is believed to be launching this year.
During the period of 22nd February till 7th March 2018, Malaysia had the privilege of being the second country in the world to host the BMW Luxury Excellence Pavilion after Canada. Located at the open air car-park next to the Kuala Lumpur City Center, the BMW Luxury Excellence Pavilion experiential program partnered with a few luxury brands such as Dior, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Leica, Hugo Boss, Moët Henessey Diageo, Wei-Ling Gallery, illy Coffee and SPACE.
The highlight of the event however, have to be the South East Asia debut appearance of the Concept 8 Series.
Starting off with the Concept 8 Series’ design is the distinctive front-end where you could spot the large kidney grille, slim twin headlights and large air intakes in the front. Dramatic body lines that brings out the car’s sporty character even more, making it even more outstanding than it already is. The front grille extends downwards that signifies the dynamic character that the BMW Concept 8 Series has.
The concept car is finished in a stunning Barcelona Grey Liquid paint (which looks grayish blue in person) that shows off the lines of the car even more. Walk around to the rear of the Concept 8 Series and you will first notice the signature L-shaped brake lights that extends further to the sides just like on the i8, giving the car an additional character of a sporty luxury coupe. As expected from a concept car, the wheels and exhausts are large and exaggerated, giving you that typical concept car stance.
As for the interior, we didn’t get to have much interaction inside, but it is finished with Merino leather in Dark Brown and Fjord White which gives the cabin a pleasant contrast. The car has a mixture of carbon fibre and hand-polished aluminium which gives it a mix of sporty and luxurious feel. The gearshift lever and the iDrive Controller are made of Swarovski glass that gives it that delicate and exquisite feel. Hopefully most of these translates to the production car.
BMW also recently announced that a high performance, M version of the upcoming production 8 Series will be a reality. While the M performance model would most likely be powered by a smaller capacity, forced-induced engine just like the one found in the new M5, we still hope that BMW will offer a large displacement V12 powertrain (from the M760i for example) that matches a large luxury coupe like the first-gen 8 Series was famously known for.
Big thanks to Aathavan & Joel for the coverage!
